2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

This 580-bhp Camaro likes to hunt Shelby GT500s.

To be honest, I didn't get a 12-second quarter-mile in the Camaro ZL1, but I was only 0.02 sec off and I'm rusty. Several others in our group at Lucas Raceway near Indianapolis nailed those 12-second quarters with regularity. Those show-offs.

Some of us remember when 12-second quarter-miles were the province of serious drag racing machines. Not anymore.

Video: ZL1 on the Drag Strip

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Go into your Chevy dealer, plunk down $54,995 and drive off in a Camaro ZL1 that will get to 60 mph in 3.9 sec (automatic) or 4.0 sec (manual). It will tear through the quarter-mile (assuming you're quicker than I am, which apparently isn't all that tough) in as little as 12.0 to 12.1 sec at 119 mph. That would be on the way to a 180 to 184 mph top speed. Those are Chevrolet's published numbers. In fact, Chevy engineers claim to have gotten down to 11.96 sec at 117 mph.

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If you're concerned about doing so many of those full-launch drag starts you'll scatter something in the driveline, the ZL1 was tested to 1000 such hard starts before approved.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

But Wait, There's More

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For those not quarter-mile inclined, how about the ZL1 doing a lap of the 154-turn Nürburgring Nordschliefe in 7:41.27, some 40 seconds quicker than a Camaro SS and not that far from the ZR1's 7:19.63?

The Chevrolet Camaro/Corvette pair shares something crucial to make their speed, the 6.2-liter LSA V-8 with its Roots supercharger and intercooler. In the ZL1's case, that means 580 bhp, plus 556 lb.-ft. of torque that tops 500 lb.-ft. somewhere around 2000 rpm and hangs in until 6000.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Behind the blown V-8 goes either a Tremec MG6 6-speed featuring 5-mode launch control or a Hydra-Matic 6L90 with the same number of speeds and paddle shifters. Magnetic Ride Control is in its third generation, and is part of the Performance Traction Management system, a la ZR1. Also included are transmission and differential coolers. At the corners are asymmetrical Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 tires.

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We love the technology in the ZL1 (and ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V) that uses uneven-length axle shafts that work with the limited-slip diff to throw them out of phase and minimize wheel hop under hard acceleration.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

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More Than a Pretty Face

Chevrolet spent wind-tunnel time to create the ZL1 and the easiest place to see it is the hood. The carbon-fiber insert isn't just an aggressive-looking piece; it vents air from the engine compartment, helping create 65 lb. of downforce at 150 mph versus 200 lb. of lift in the SS. You'll see alternations in the ZL1's face, all for the sake of added airflow, plus a lower splitter instead of a spoiler. If you could turn the Camaro over—please, don't—you'd find still more aero detail work to smooth and direct airflow.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

On the drag strip the ZL1 is obviously a hoot. Really, 580 bhp, all that torque, wide sticky tires on a gummy drag surface? You were expecting anything less? Whether you're using launch control with the manual or working the pedals to snap the automatic off the line, you'd have trouble doing the quarter in more than, say, 13.5 seconds.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

We didn't have the chance to try the ZL1 on a road circuit, but were able to wind down some very twisty roads south of Indianapolis. We'll take Chevy's word on the Nürburgring, but found the ZL1 to be quite calm, collected and capable on normal roads. Run it down to 1000 rpm in 4th gear and it doesn't fuss when you accelerate, albeit slowly. For all its horsepower, the Camaro is quite light on its feet, so to speak, when you wind it down narrow, never-straight country roads.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

You can buy a ZL1 Coupe right now and if you wait a few months, the ZL1 Convertible will be available.

Okay, Ford Shelby GT500 fans, let the arguments begin. Ford is claiming 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.7 at 135 mph, but what about the Nürburgring?